How to Boil Crawfish
Boiling crawfish is a southern backyard tradition that can be enjoyed anywhere with the right tools. The crawfish are actually boiled while they are still alive.
Required Ingredients
- 40 pounds of crawfish
- Crawfish boil seasoning
- 2 ½ pounds of red potatoes
- 10 ears of corn
- Water
Required Equipment
- Large Container that has a drain
- 15 to 20 gallon crawfish pot
- Gloves
- Propane Burner / Stove
- Basket to fit inside the pot
Boiling the Crawfish
- Start by placing the crawfish into a large container filled with water. Many people use a stainless steel bucket with a drain. If you don’t have one, there are other options. Use a big cooler or even a small kid’s pool, as long as it can drain. You should fill and drain the water at least three times. Once finished, use gloves to remove any debris and dead crawfish from the container. Do not use this container for anything but crawfish boils in the future. The seafood smell will remain in the container and will ruin other food.
- Fill the pot with four gallons of water and as much of the crawfish boil seasoning as you would like. The pot should be sitting on top of the propane burner. Let the water boil on high for five minutes.
- Add the red potatoes to the boiling water and cook for five minutes. Remove the potatoes and set aside. Do not overcook the potatoes or they will be too soft. Traditional crawfish boils do not use mashed potatoes.
- Place the crawfish in the basket. Add the crawfish basket to the pot and cover the pot. Return the water to a boil. You should add the ears of corn into the pot once the water is boiling. Once you have added the corn, turn off the stove, but keep the pot covered. Let the corn and crawfish sit for thirty minutes.
- Drain the water from the pot and serve the food. Enjoy the traditional meal of crawfish, corn on the cob, and red potatoes.
Hints and Tips
- In true southern tradition, large tables are covered with old newspapers or plastic table clothes. The food is literally dumped onto the table and people serve themselves from the table.
- Add other food items to your pot. Mushrooms, onions, celery, sausage, lemons, and carrots are some ideas that work well for this recipe.
- After realizing that a crawfish boil is a fun, easy experience, you will want to carry on this tradition, even if you don’t live in the south.